OSCAM x BNNVARA x HazazaH x Noah Latif Lamp present Roofkunst – Souvenirs of stolen cultures

How do we deal with our colonial legacy of stolen art? How can we make room for a contemporary and inclusive view? In collaboration with the creators of the documentary series Roofkunst and artist Noah Latif Lamp, we are looking for answers to these questions.

Behind the splendour of colonial art hides a painful history and a struggle for ownership that continues to this day. In Roofkunst – Souvenirs from stolen cultures we reflect on these underexposed stories. We show the colonial history and commercial souvenirs of four looted works of art, that are eminent symbols of the appropriation of rights. This puts the objects in a completely different light.

Roofkunst is a plea for a new, inclusive narrative about the colonial history of the Netherlands and other European nations, and a look behind the scenes of discussions about colonial art that are being conducted within the museum world.

Digital opening Roofkunst

For the opening of Roofkunst, we turned to digital methods. Watch the online ‘Speak Session x Roofkunst’ by clicking on screenshots of the video underneath.

Colophon

Curator: Noah Latif Lamp
Production: Sam Godfried, Moos Wilhelm, Samra Asmellash & Sasu Aghafua
Exhibition design: Zaïra Pourier
Partners: BNNVARA & VSBfonds
Special thanks: Marian Duff, Armand Ong A Swie, Phuong Nguyen, Shaquille Shaniqua Joy, Louisanne van Hooff